Day 6 of my christmas countdown is for all those caramel fanatics out there, with a Salted Chocolate Caramel. This luscious soft caramel with a dark chocolate topping hits the sweet spot, but you can’t limit yourself to just one caramel. I’ve had to give this batch away to friends, otherwise I would have scoffed the lot!

SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

METHODPlace the cream and condensed milk in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until just warm. Set aside and keep warm.

Place the corn syrup, sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Insert a sugar thermometer, bring to the boil and cook until the temperature reaches 120°C. Reduce heat to medium, add the butter and warm cream mixture and keep an eye on the temperature as it will drop a bit on the thermometer. Cook the caramel stirring continuously to ensure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan, until the temperature returns to 120°C.

Remove the caramel from the heat and pour in to a 20 cm-square baking tray, lined with baking paper and well-oiled with a neutral oil to set. Leave for an hour to cool.

Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted pour over the caramel in the baking tray, sprinkle with the salt and allow to cool completely.

Turn caramel out and cut into squares, adding a little more salt if needed. Wrap in non-stick baking paper to serve or store in an airtight container in a cool place.

This recipe makes a soft caramel if kept at room temperature, if you wanted a harder chewier caramel place in the fridge for an hour